At the start of every training camp, coach Bill Belichick reminds the rookies that how they came to stand in front of him is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is what they do with the opportunity provided them.

The proof came with the unveiling of the Patriots' initial 53-man roster two weeks ago. Fourteen rookies made the cut, evenly divided among those who were drafted and those who were bypassed over three days, seven rounds and 254 picks in April.

It marked the 11th straight season at least one undrafted rookie made the team.

The undrafted lot included receiver Kenbrell Thompkins, tight end Zach Sudfeld and punter Ryan Allen, all of whom were familiar to fans by the end of the preseason. Then you had the unknown and unnoticed likes of Joe Vellano.

The 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle didn't make any flashy plays during the summer. All he did he was show up for work every day and put in honest effort each and every shift in the trenches, which is fitting because his family runs a construction company that specializes in water and sewage projects.

For that, he was rewarded with a coveted spot on the varsity.

"Obviously, hard work pays off," Vellano said humbly last week. "A lot of work goes into it and I'm excited for the opportunity to really just increase my role on the team. Just keep grinding and getting better now."

Vellano, the lone reserve defensive tackle on the roster, served in a support role to starters Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly in the first two games.

He played close to half of the defensive snaps and had two tackles, including one for a loss, against Buffalo in his NFL debut. On Thursday, he was on the field for about a third of the defensive snaps while making four tackles against the Jets.

His playing time and production have far exceeded that of fellow rookie defenders Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan and Duron Harmon, who were drafted in the second or third round.

"When I have a chance to go in for Vince and Tommy, I just try to keep the high level of play up and help the team win," Vellano said.

So far, so good. Vellano has stood his ground on the inside and the Patriots are 2-0 and sitting atop the AFC East.

Vellano grew up outside Albany, N.Y., and started playing football at a young age, following in the cleats of his older brother and dad, who was an All-American defensive lineman at the University of Maryland before going on to play in the World Football League.

Vellano also played basketball, hockey and lacrosse, but football was his best sport and it ultimately earned him a scholarship to Maryland. A three-year starter, he captained the Terrapins and earned All-ACC honors both his junior and senior seasons.

He made a career-high 94 tackles while lining up at defensive tackle in a 4-3 alignment as a junior and was named an All-American, making Paul and Joe Vellano the first father-son combo to be so honored at the same school in ACC history. Vellano was moved to defensive end as a senior when Maryland switched to a 3-4, and he produced a career-high six sacks.

Despite his pedigree, productivity and versatility, Vellano went undrafted. He has a fast motor, but is undersized for the position which undoubtedly scared off the scouts.

The unpretentious Vellano — a fan of pickup trucks, chicken parmesan and the "Rocky" movies — took it all in stride.

"It was obviously my first time going through all that stuff and I really wasn't sure how it was going to go," he said. "I ended up not getting drafted, but I feel like it didn't slow me down at all. I eventually had the chance to come here, which I thought was a great fit for me going into the whole process. I couldn't have picked a better place and I'm glad it worked out this way."

Same goes for Belichick, who once again made good on his rookie promise that making the Patriots is all about making the most of one's opportunity.